Reflecting on Jesus’ parable comparing the kingdom of God to a mustard seed in the Gospel of Mark, the pope said Christians should have an attitude of “confident expectation” in the Lord.

“In sowing, no matter how good or abundant the seed the farmer scatters or how well he prepares the land, the plants do not sprout immediately: It takes time,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address on June 16.

“Underground the miracle is already in progress,” he added. “There is enormous development, but it is invisible, it takes patience, and in the meantime it is necessary to to keep tending the turf, watering it and keeping it clean, despite the fact that on the surface nothing seems to be happening.”

Pope Francis explained that the kingdom of God likewise requires patience, to “wait confidently” as it takes time to grow.

“The Lord places in us the seeds of his word and his grace, good and abundant seeds, and then, without ever ceasing to accompany us, he waits patiently. He continues to take care of us, with the confidence of a Father, but he gives us time, so that the seeds open, grow, and develop to the point of bearing the fruits of good works,” he said.

The pope added that the Lord teaches us by his example “to sow the Gospel confidently wherever we are and then to wait for the seed that has been sown to grow and bear fruit in us and in others.”

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis encouraged the Catholic pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square below to not become discouraged if they do not see immediate results from their efforts.

“In fact, often even among us, beyond appearances, the miracle is already underway, and in due course it will bear abundant fruit,” he said.

“May the Virgin Mary, who welcomed and made the seed of the Word grow within her, help us to be generous and confident sowers of the Gospel.”

After praying the Angelus in Latin with the crowd, the pope urged people not to stop praying for peace in Ukraine, the Holy Land, Sudan, Myanmar, and wherever people are suffering from war.

Pope Francis said he was pained to hear of the “massacres carried out in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo” and appealed to the government and international authorities to “do everything possible to stop the violence and to safeguard the lives of civilians.”

“Among the victims, many are Christians killed in hatred of the faith. They are martyrs. Their sacrifice is a seed that germinates and bears fruit, and teaches us to witness to the Gospel with courage and consistency,” he said.

Pope Francis greeted pilgrims visiting the Vatican from Lebanon, Egypt, and Spain, England, Poland, Hungary, and many parts of Italy.

The pope also expressed great joy at the news of the beatification of Blessed Michael Rapacz, a Catholic priest who was killed by communist authorities in Poland in 1946.

Pope Francis praised Rapacz as a “pastor after the heart of Christ” who witnessed to the Gospel amid both Nazi and Soviet persecution “and responded with the gift of his life.”

Approximately 1,800 people attended the Polish priest’s beatification Mass on June 15 in Krakow’s Divine Mercy Shrine.